A skid-steer vehicle is a compact, highly maneuverable vehicle which employs driving mechanisms on opposite sides of the vehicle for driving each set of wheels mounted thereon independently. The vehicle's maneuverability is further enhanced by a favorable weight ratio for the weight carried at the front and rear axles during loaded and unloaded conditions. It is desirable to provide as compact a vehicle structure as possible to maximize the efficiency of this weight ratio. In a skid-steer vehicle the engine is mounted in the rear and contributes significantly to a 70-30 weight ratio with 70% of the weight of the vehicle overlying the rear axle when the bucket at the front of the vehicle is unloaded. The conventional cooling system of prior art skid-steer vehicles stacks the cooling system in aligned relationship with the engine. That is, the fan, radiator and oil cooler are axially aligned behind the engine. This so-called "engine cooling stack" provides a relatively bulky cooling system.
Therefore, it would be desirable to shorten the length of this stack to provide a relatively compact and efficient cooling system for a skid-steer loader. A more compact cooling system provides a smaller engine compartment, permitting more efficient cooling of the engine and optimizes the weight ratio between the front and rear axles of the vehicles to improve the maneuvering ability of that vehicle.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a compact cooling system for a skid-steer vehicle.